TOMSK, Dec 29 – RIA Tomsk. The camouflage material, developed in Tomsk State University (TSU), will allow a person to merge with environment in an infrared range as much as possible, that will help tourists to be protected from snakes, one of developers, the employee of Laboratory of Optical Waves Propagation Vladimir Harenkov reported.
It was reported earlier that the group of scientists of the Siberian Physics and Technology Institute (SPTI) of TSU developed camouflage material, which merges with environment not only in visible, but also in an infrared range. The masking effect is provided at the expense of special structure of the camouflage. It was specified, that the development can be used, for example, at production of overalls for hunters or military.
"Snakes possess infrared vision, and, perhaps, thanks to our material, they will cease "to see" a person", - Harenkov explained. He added that the patent for material is taken already out; the material is at a prototype stage.
© РИА Томск. Павел Стефанский
According to him, it isn't known, when the product can enter the market so far, however, it is expected that its prime cost will be low. The only expensive component of the camouflage is the layer with the introduced nanoparticles, which provides "invisibility".
In turn the associate professor of Department of Vertebrate Zoology and Ecology of TSU Valentina Kuranova noted that the development won't be able to protect from all snakes, as only some of them "see" in an infrared range. In particular, pit vipers (rattlesnakes) possess such sight, thanks to a special pair sense organ – a thermolocator.
"The thermolocator allows pit vipers to catch heat, which goes from a victim, and thus to hunt, in twilight and at night", - Kuranova explained. She emphasized, that snakes can attack people only if they is provoked.